Will browser extension support be enough to lure Android users away from Google Chrome and into the welcoming arms of Microsoft Edge? We may find out soon, as it appears Edge is now preparing expansion support for its mobile app.
This is due to some research in the Edge for Android code by tipster @Leopeva64 (through 9to5Google). For now, the functionality is hidden behind a flag in the early test builds of the app, but it could reach the main app as soon as March.
Certain extensions – for switching to dark mode, for blocking ads, and for changing media playback speed – are already to show up on a rudimentary extension page, which is another sign that the feature will be launching soon.
From the screenshots posted so far, it appears that a new Extensions button is being added to the menu that appears when you tap the three horizontal lines, at the bottom right of the Edge for Android interface.
It is possible to install extensions in Edge for Android!:https://t.co/18lG5nYyad pic.twitter.com/Sj744tPo6zJanuary 31, 2024
Extensive functions
You may know how useful third-party extensions can be in a desktop browser, as they add all kinds of extra tools and features to your browser of choice – from changing the way tabs are arranged, to annotating web pages, to managing the website volume.
While there are a large number of extensions available for Chrome on the desktop, Chrome and other browsers have generally shied away from adding support for extensions on mobile devices for a variety of reasons: screens are smaller, fewer system resources are available, the interface is simpler, and so on.
Now, however, the situation is changing. Firefox recently reintroduced extension support to its Android app, and now it looks like Edge will follow suit – in an attempt to steal away Chrome’s market share. Chrome is enabled by default about two-thirds of mobile devices worldwide, but that includes both iPhones and Android devices.
You won’t be able to use all the existing Edge extensions on Android – obviously not all of them will work, and the developers will have to adapt them for the different platform – but watch this space for these add-ons coming to Microsoft’s browser arrive .